University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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by Richard Capone -- - An Ethnic Thought ollege has no t always been an easy experience. Being thrown into an unknown environment can be extremely uncomfortable. For the increasing population of minority students entering college, the situation can only become worse. Many minority students who have not been ex- posed to American culture may find themselves at a disadvantage. They may lack the English communication skills necessary to guide them towards success at Cal. Fortunately, solutions to this dilemma have already been found. They are called ethnic clubs. These clubs help students overcome communication difficulties, offer tutoring, provide a voice for students ' needs, and supply friendship. Some are general recreational clubs; others are field-related clubs. Sadly, these clubs do not exist for all minorities and vary in the amount and type of assistance they offer. However, if these clubs continue to grow as they have in the past, the possibility that Cal will become a truly rep- resentative campus may be realized. Unfortunately, these ethnic clubs do also have some negative effects on minority students. They can become crutches for students who are less confident about their own ability to grasp American culture. Stu- dents in many cases join these clubs to make their cultural transition easier. Ironically, these clubs can become a trap for such students. Many times the clubs ' goals are not only to provide integration into society but also to continue the practice of their own foreign cultures. Therefore, it can become easier to cling to the familiar rather than encompass the unknown. Students who become trapped may want to expose them- selves to new elements but have a difficult time finding the motivation to break away. In the short run, not integrating into American society may not be harmful. Eventually, however, when support from a familiar ethnic group is not available, the ability to stand on one ' s own will be required, especially when trying to get a job. Basically, ethnic clubs serve as an optional base for foreign-cultured students. But eventually, many students may wish to become com- pletely independent. Although some achieve independence, others do not. It can become easier to cling to the known and reject the unknown. Regrettably, this often means passing up the opportunities that a diversified environment such as Cal has to offer. FALL 9

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i nree ake Four I iling through the massive oak doors of Wheeler Hall are aporoximately 70 million intelligent and capable students. A tiny speck near what looks like a miniature podium is speaking about his (or her?) interpretation of the sociological basis of gender. Frantic note-taking begins . . . this is DC Berkeley, perhaps one of the me ' intimidating and complex universities in the world. Between standing in line at 120 Sproul and trying to find the Earth Sciences Building a Cal freshman may find him or herself completely lost in the maze of this enormous repository of both learning and people. And how can you avoid feeling insignificant when everyone keeps asking to see your reg. card? Take Four H lelp! I ' m drowning in a sea of excellence amidst diversity! Just as the whole is not merely the sum of its parts, neither is DC Berkeley merely a fun place to live and a school that will look good on your resume. Nor is it always a cold and frightening institution. In my high school days, I saw Berkeley as the Emerald City of Oz. There was beauty and wildness in the little town and I felt awestruck by the immense university so highly acclaimed and impressive with its rows of white stone steps gracing every building. My friends and I would enter its gates as tourists to buy funky clothes at Aaarkvark ' s (now Shark ' s) and im- port records at Leopold ' s and Rasputin ' s. Dur- ing those trips wandering down Telegraph Av- enue eating pizza from Blondie ' s I realized that Cal was my destiny. The university and the town sang their interweaving siren songs and beckoned for me to take part in the grand adventure. My Yellow Brick Road was paved with SAT and achievement test scores, GPA ' s and tran- scripts. The forks in the road were many, and I nearly lost my way several times. But once here, with Oz in sight, I found myself caught in a field of sleep-inducing pop- pies. The banes of freshman year that were barely hinted at in the orientation material such as homesickness, stress, and time misman- agement settled in for the duration. The con- cept of being caught up in my classes was unheard of to me. And God forbid the pos- sibility of a social life! Where was the Good Witch of the North when you needed her? I think that this semester Glenda ' s resur- recting snowfall has come in the form of Cal itself. The isolation can be escaped. After all, there are over 35,000 other students here. Even a suburban misfit like myself can find a quasi- home-like environment in this sprawling insti- tutional morass. From the Greek system to political associations to support organizations for every minority group under the sun, Cal does reach its tentacles out into the community of students which it harbors. Sure, you have to go out and find the Wicked Witch ' s broom, but it ' s not as difficult as the typical Kansas wanderer might think. Wait in a few lines, that ' s all. The Wicked Witch has been melted but there ' s still no place like home. Luckily, I have two homes how. The people I love are at my parent ' s house, but the place I love is Berkeley. It ' s both the People ' s Republik of Berzerkeley and a world-reknown university. Four years (or so) from now, with a bachelor ' s degree as my ruby slippers, I can return to Kansas if I wish. Or maybe I ' ll stay in Oz . . . 8 FALL

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- Thinas You Have 1. Fall asleep on campus. 2. Watch a protest 3. Complete 120 units. 4. Listen to Stonie. 5. Get lost in Dwlnelle. 6. Break off with you high school sweethear 7. Stop calling home collect. 8. Spend your first summer in Berkeley. 9. Start your weekend on Thursday. 10. Visit your home town without visiting your parents. 11. Go to Cowell and not get any better. 12. Be sung about in Rich Starrs song. 13. Picnic in Tilden Park. 14. Declare a major. 15. Study cram in a cafe. 16. See the Bubble Lady. 17. Crash Jowitt ' s poly sci. 18. Meet one professor. 19. Pull an all-nighter. 20. Visit SF ' s Broadway. 21. Successfully dodge people with flyers on Sprout Plaza. 22. Camp out in a line to get a class. 23. Win a grade argument with a TA. 24. Spend less than an hour in any line. 25. Visit every building on campus. 26. Take a picture in front of your major ' s building. 10 FALL